A microtiter plate, or any other piece of laboratory equipment, may be subject to multiple rounds of heating and cooling during a series of manipulations. As a result of the thermal cycling, the plate may become nonuniform in the flatness of its working surface causing the depth of individual wells to vary. The nonuniformity of the plate may then prevent the automation of material transfer processes. For example, the dispenser may be too far from the bottom of the well for efficient material transfer. In other cases, the dispenser may be too close to the well bottom pressing against the well bottom and blocking material transfer.
The present invention overcomes the above-described problem during material transfer processes by providing a method for flattening or elongating a work surface in order to precisely align the work surface in relationship with a dispenser.